Seth Baczynski can thank Brad Tavares for his current run at welterweight.

After losing a first bout to the Hawaiian fighter by disqualification on “The Ultimate Fighter 11″ and getting smothered in a rematch at the conclusion of the reality show, Baczynski thought about hanging it up.

“I didn’t want to be one of those guys bouncing around on the small shows for a paycheck,” Baczynski told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio).

Baczynski (15-6 MMA, 2-1 UFC) now has back-to-back submission wins under his belt in the UFC and on Friday meets Lance Benoist (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at UFC on FX 3, which takes place at BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla. The prelimianry-card bout airs on FUEL TV in advance of main-card bouts on FX.

Benoist brings a 6-0 resume to the fight following a decision win over Matt Riddle in his octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 25.

Aware the he was undersized for the middleweight class, Baczynski began to drop weight immediately after the second loss to Tavares. He fought WEC vet Tim McKenzie at a catchweight of 175 pounds and then won an interim welterweight championship in a regional Canadian promotion.

Baczynski considers Benoist to be a step up in competition, and a fitting piece to his comeback. Now fighting out of Tempe, Ariz., alongside UFC vets Ryan Bader, C.B. Dollaway and Aaron Simpson, Baczynski is adjusting well to the lighter life.

“That fight with Brad was a huge turning point in my career,” he said.

In his first trip back to the octagon at UFC Fight Night 25, he submitted Clay Harvison in the second round, and he then did the same to Matt Brown at UFC 139. He did both while suffering from a double hernia in his abdomen wall.

“I just had to get through it,” Baczynski said.

Recently, he underwent surgery to correct the problem and is back to all the normal bumps and bruises that come with training camp.

After beating Harvison, Baczynski remembers watching Benoist, who made his debut at UFC Fight Night 25.

“He’s a southpaw, and I remember him being well-rounded,” Baczynski said. “Just from that little bit of watching him, I got some information on him. He’s a pretty good wrestler, pretty good grappler, and he’s pretty good on his feet. I remember him throwing a spinning back-kick. Guy has got to be pretty loose to do stuff like that.”

That’s about all Baczynski knows about his opponent. The rest, he said, is left to his coaches, who have formulated a game plan to practice in the final days of camp.

Benoist may not be the same fighter he remembers, but at least he won’t be the size that’s unmanageable.

MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

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